I. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a method and related system for distributing sports entertainment.
II. Description of Related Art
Motorsports entertainment is one of the fastest growing fields of sports entertainment. Motorsports entertainment programs have long been produced and distributed to viewers remote from the site of the motorsports event through traditional means. Motorsports entertainment programs are typically produced through use of cameras stationed at various sites along the path taken by race cars or other motor vehicles. The producer selects camera feed to compile a program that is broadcast to all remote viewers.
In more recent years, producers have installed additional cameras that travel with the race cars or other participating vehicles. The cameras are mounted on various locations of the vehicles, and in some cases, are mounted on the helmets or other parts of the drivers' racing apparel. In various embodiments, the cameras are mounted on the exterior or within the interior of the vehicle, on the exterior or interior of a participant's helmet, or on the participant him or herself. The cameras are lightweight and durable so as to endure vibrations transmitted from the vehicles, and so as not to unduly interfere with the vehicles' performance. Stabilizing systems are provided so that the cameras record and/or broadcast stabilized views of the vehicle's environs.
The pictures taken by the vehicle-mounted cameras are transmitted to a receiving station by transmitting equipment carried by the vehicles and receiving equipment positioned at a receiving station. At the receiving station, the feed from the vehicle-mounted cameras becomes available to the producer, along with feed from the several other cameras that may be stationed along the track. The motorsports entertainment program is still compiled by the producer, who decides which of the various feeds is of interest at any particular point in time during the course of the motorsports event Producers traditionally compile motorsports entertainment programs such that the feed from several different cameras are combined over the course of the event, wherein only a small portion of the program consists of feed from any particular vehicle.
The motorsports entertainment program is typically transmitted to viewers through network, cable, or satellite television transmissions as it is being produced. The remote viewer receives the program by selecting a designated channel, and the program received by the viewer is the same as the program as prepared by the producer. As such, the viewer is constrained by the feed selections that have been made by the producer, and has no ability to select the feed from a vehicle-mounted camera of particular interest to the viewer. The viewer's only choice is to watch or not watch the program as it has been produced.
The traditional prior art means of providing motorsports entertainment unduly constrains the viewer and prevents viewers from observing aspects of the motorsports entertainment event that are of particular interest. Many motorsports enthusiasts have a race car driver of primary interest, and would be primarily interested in viewing the motorsports event from the standpoint of the particular driver. For this large segment of the viewing public, the primary interest in viewing a particular event is not to view various positions of the track or view the track from the perspective of a variety of vehicles, but would be to view the track from the perspective of the driver of interest. Through this perspective, the viewer would be able to virtually ride with the driver of interest, experiencing the track and track conditions as viewed by the driver, experiencing the positioning of the driver's vehicle in relation to competing vehicles, and experiencing the excitement of the race from the perspective of the driver of greatest interest. The viewer would also be able to experience the interest and excitement first hand of events impacting the driver, such as near collisions, pit stops, and the like.
Other sports entertainment programming shares attributes of motorsports entertainment and is traditionally distributed in ways similar to that discussed above. However, as in motorsports entertainment, the distribution of these other sports entertainment events fails to provide viewers with the ability to select camera feed of greatest interest and excitement to the viewer. Thus, prior art methods have likewise been deficient in connection with the distribution of sporting events in the nature of a wide variety of sporting events, including but not limited to skiing, sledding events, horse racing, harness racing, football games, and the like. The present invention has applications in the distribution of those kinds of sports entertainment programming as well.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide improved methodology for the distribution of motorsports entertainment programming and similar sports programs, wherein viewers are able to select vehicle-mounted or other participant-mounted camera feed of primary interest and excitement to the individual viewer.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a convenient and more efficient way of presenting advertising to viewers of sports programming.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a more efficient means for generating and assessing viewer purchases of sports entertainment programming.